Origin

The word alchemy (Late Middle English) was a medieval science that looked to transform matter, in particular to convert base metals into gold or find a universal ‘elixir of life’. It was the medieval equivalent of chemistry, and was also the origin of the word. Alchemy came via Old French and medieval Latin from Arabic al-kīmiyā, which was from Greek khēmia ‘the art of transforming metals’. See also elixir